Container provided with a safety hermetic seal cap

ABSTRACT

A safety closure for a container, which also provides a hermetic seal, is formed by a cap which fits downwardly over the neck portion of the container. The neck has a horizontally arranged annular groove formed at its lower end and at least one vertical groove extends downwardly on the outer surface of the neck to the horizontal groove. The cap member is provided with a spring and sealing means on its inner surface and it also contains a tooth or projection which fits into the vertical groove of the neck as the cap is placed on the container and passes downwardly to the horizontal groove where it is rotated into a spaced position from the vertical groove and fits within a notch for locking the cap onto the neck of the container. In the locked position the spring and sealing means within the cap are biased against the opening in the upper end of the neck for providing the hermetic seal.

United States Patent Vincenzo Balducci Via Foggia l8vAndria (Bari) Italy [2!] App]. No. 792,018

[72] Inventor (54] CONTAINER PROVIDED WITH A SAFETY VJIIIIIIIII/IIIIII/IIII/I 3,341,044 9/1967 Valk 215/9 Primary ExaminerGeorge T. Hall Attorney-McGlew & Toren ABSTRACT: A safety closure for a container, which also provides a hermetic seal, is formed by a cap which fits downwardly over the neck portion of the container. The neck has a horizontally arranged annular groove formed at its lower end and at least one vertical groove extends downwardly on the outer surface of the neck to the horizontal groove. The cap member is provided with a spring and sealing means on its inner surface and it also contains a tooth or projection which fits into the vertical groove of the neck as the cap is placed on the container and passes downwardly to the horizontal groove where it is rotated into a spaced position from the vertical groove and tits within a notch for locking the cap onto the neck of the container. ln the locked position the spring and sealing means within the cap are biased against the opening in the upper end of the neck for providing the hermetic seal.

IIII/I/IIIII[III/[111111177 PATENTEUFEB 2m sum 2 OF 2 INVENTOR VINCENZD BHLDUEJ ATTORNEYS CONTAINER PROVIDED WITfI A SAFETY I-IERMETIC SEAL CAP The present invention relates to a container and to its cap which are so shaped that, as the cap is applied on the head of said container, it closes this latter insuring a safety hermetic seal; that is to say, it performs such a closing that any undesired removal of the cap is prevented, even in cases wherein the cap is subjected to strokes or knocks. Namely, the opening of the container can be carried out only when a series of operations are performed according to a preestablished sequence and after having pressed the cap against the effect of an inner return spring, capable of insuring a safety hermetic seal of said cap to the container.

The device of the invention may be applied to a container of any type which is provided with a neck on which can be appliable a cap of a substantially inner conical shape.

Said cap as well as at least the neck portion of the container associated therewith must be made of a substantially stiff material.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to an embodiment of the invention, shown in the accompanying drawings and given merely by way of an illustrative example and not as limiting the invention.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the front view of the container and its cap in their closing arrangement and a top plan view of them respectively.

FIG. 3 is an axial sectional view taken on the line A-A of FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the container and cap, taken on the line 8-8 of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a detail exploded view of the upper part of the container and of the cap, shown in the mutual position of these elements, as the cap being inserted on the neck of the container; said FIGS. show a front view of the upper part of the container and an axial sectional view of the cap, said front and sectional views being taken in parallel or along the lines C-C and D-D of FIG. 7, respectively.

FIG. 7 shows the sectional view E-E of the container and cap, at the end of the lowering course of the cap, but before the cap begins its rotary course (the position of the cap is shown by dotted lines in FIGS. 5 and 6).

Now referring in detail to the drawings, at l is generally marked the container, at 2 the cap and at 3 the neck of the container 1. At least the neck 3 of the container and the cap 2 are made of a substantially stifl material.

The outer surface of the neck 3 is slightly conical and at the lower part of the neck an outer annular groove is arranged which at its upper part fonns a substantially level shoulder 4. At least a longitudinal groove 5 is arranged in the part of the neck surface placed upon said shoulder 4, said groove having open ends, the lower of which opens into the surface of said shoulder 4. According to the shown embodiment, two grooves 5 are provided, diametrically positioned. At the zones of the shoulder 4 comprised between said two grooves 5, two recesses or notches 6 are arranged having the same cross section as the grooves 5, but a smaller height.

The cap 2 can have any outer shape, suited to make easier its grip. Said cap 2 has an inner cavity of a height higher than that of the neck 3 and so shaped and dimensioned as to be able to house the portion of the neck 3 which is placed over the shoulder 4, as well as the sealing means and the spring device.

At its lower end the edge of the cap 2 projects inwardly and forms so many teeth 7 as there are grooves 5, said teeth being so shaped, dimensioned and spaced apart from each other so that they can enter said grooves 5 and travel along them, when the cap 2 is depressed towards the container 1.

Near the top of the inner cavity of the cap 2 a helical spring 8 is located, pressing on one side against said top surface of the cavity, and on the other side acting against a spring retainer or the like 9, on the lower surface of which a packing ring 10 is applied of such a size as to be able to seal the joint between the cap and the entrance orifice of the container 1.

The cap is mounted by placing it on the container 1 in the mutual arrangement of the parts, shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, namely in such a manner that the teeth 7 face the entrances of the respective grooves 5.

For performing the closing, first the cap 2 is allowed to lower, so that the teeth 7 travel downwards along the longitudinal guiding grooves 5. During this phase the cap 2 will be depressed continuously, first freely and thence against the resistance of the return spring 8. The parts concerned are so constructed and dimensioned that when the spring 8 has been sufficiently compressed, the teeth 7 of the cap reach below the level of the shoulder 4, which in combination with the upper part of the body of the container I and the narrowest part of the neck 3 forms an annular guiding groove, into which the said teeth 7 can enter and slide, as further rotary movement is imparted to the cap 2 with respect to the container 1. As soon as the teeth 7 have left the grooves 5, it will be no more necessary to further depress the cap 2, since the same shoulder 4 holds the teeth 7 back, without that the effect of the return spring can no more adversely affect the travel of the teeth 7, so that the cap 2 can no more move upwards. Now the cap 2 must be simply caused to rotate so that the teeth 7 travel along the annular path formed by the annular groove, until said teeth 7 face the recesses or notches 6, into which said teeth 7 spring forward under the action of the return spring 8, which becomes now again operative on said teeth, said recesses preventing any further spontaneous rotary displacement of the parts, owing to the permanent upwards return effect due to the compressed spring 8 and acting on the teeth 7 which are engaged into the recesses or notches 6. At the same time the spring 8 presses the packing ring I0 against the edge of the entrance orifice of the container 1, thus ensuring a safety hermetic seal, which depends upon the direct elastic action of the spring 8 exerted on the annular packing ring 10 and upon an indirect action of the same spring 8, which prevents the teeth 7 to be carried out of engagement of the notches 6 (FIGS. 3 and 4).

For performing the opening of the container, first by means of a controlled operation the cap is depressed against the resistance of the return spring 8, until the teeth 7 can be carried out of engagement from the respective notches 6 until they rest on the shoulder surface 4. Thence, it is sufficient to continue to rotate the cap 2 relatively to the container 1 until the teeth 7 come into register with the entrances into the grooves 5. At this moment the cap 2 can be released, since the teeth are no more retained, but they can automatically lift under the effect of the return spring 8 acting thereon. Now the cap 2 can be removed, to its removal cooperating the residual load stored in the spring 8, which had been previously compressed.

I claim:

1. A container provided with a safety hermetic seal cap comprises first walls defining a container space extending vertically in its normal position and an upwardly extending neck forming an opening into said container space, a horizontally disposed annular-shaped continuous groove is formed in the exterior surface of said neck at its lower end, the upper horizontally disposed surface of said horizontal groove forming a planar shoulder, at least one vertically extending open ended groove formed in the outer surface of said neck and extending from the upper end of said neck to said groove, an upwardly extending notch formed in said shoulder within said horizontal groove at a position spaced from the lower end of said vertical groove, said notch extending vertically upwardly from said shoulder and having a vertical dimension less than the vertical dimension of said veru'cal groove, the horizontal dimension of said groove is similar to the horizontal dimension of said vertical groove, a horizontally arranged cover disc and a skirt extending downwardly from said cover disc defines the cap which is positioned vertically in its normal position on the container and forms a cavity of a sufficient height and shape to contain the portion of said neck extending upwardly from said shoulder, a helical compression spring secured within the cavity to the lower surface of said disc and depending downwardly therefrom, a retainer member fixed to the lower end of said spring, a packing ring fixed to the lower surface of said spring retainer member and being of a sufficicnt size to form a closure for hermetically sealing the opening in said neck, at least one tooth secured to and extending inwardly from the lower edge of said skirt. said tooth having a vertical dimension which is less than the vertical dimension of said horizontal 'groove and a horizontal dimension and shape such that it can fit within and pass downwardly through said vertical groove in said neck, the vertical dimension between said packing ring and the upper surface of said tooth when the cap is removed from the container is less than the vertical dimension of said neck froni its upper end to said shoulder in said groove so that when the cap is assembled on said neck the upper end of said.

neck compresses said spring so that said packing ring effects a seal for the opening from said neck and said tooth passes downwardly through said vertical groove and then is rotated to and seated within said notch for holding the cap on the container against accidental displacement and to achieve this effect the vertical dimension between the upper surface of said notch and the upper end of said neck is greater than the vertical dimension between the upper surface of said tooth and the lower surface of said packing ring when the cap is in the dissembled position.

2. A container, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said neck has a frustoconical shape diverging downwardly from its upper end to said shoulder defining the upper surface of said horizontal groove, a pair of said vertical grooves disposed on diametrically opposite sides of said neck, the cavity in the cap having a frustoconical shape similar to and slightly larger than that of said neck so that the cap fits downwardly over said neck, a pair of said teeth disposed on diametrically opposite sides of said neck, and a pair of said notches disposed on diametrically opposite sides of said 'neckspaced angularly at from said vertical grooves for receiving and holding said teeth in the locked position of the cap on the container when the cap is rotated through said horizontal groove until said teeth are aligned with said notches. 

1. A container provided with a safety hermetic seal cap comprises first walls defining a container space extending vertically in its normal position and an upwardly extending neck forming an opening into said container space, a horizontally disposed annular-shaped continuous groove is formed in the exterior surface of said neck at its lower end, the upper horizontally disposed surface of said horizontal groove forming a planar shoulder, at least one vertically extending open ended groove formed in the outer surface of said neck and extending from the upper end of said neck to said groove, an upwardly extending notch formed in said shoulder within said horizontal groove at a position spaced from the lower end of said vertical groove, said notch extending vertically upwardly from said shoulder and having a vertical dimension less than the vertical dimension of said vertical groove, the horizontal dimension of said groove is similar to the horizontal dimension of said vertical groove, a horizontally arranged cover disc and a skirt extending downwardly from said cover disc defines the cap which is positioned vertically in its normal position on the container and forms a cavity of a sufficient height and shape to contain the portion of said neck extending upwardly from said shoulder, a helical compression spring secured within the cavity to the lower surface of said disc and depending downwardly therefrom, a retainer member fixed to the lower end of said spring, a packing ring fixed to the lower surface of said spring retainer member and being of a sufficient size to form a closure for hermetically sealing the opening in said neck, at least one tooth secured to and extending inwardly from the lower edge of said skirt, said tooth having a vertical dimension which is less than the vertical dimension of said horizontal groove and a horizontal dimension and shape such that it can fit within and pass downwardly through said vertical groove in said neck, the vertical dimension between said packing ring and the upper surface of said tooth when the cap is removed from the container is less than the vertical dimension of said neck from its upper end to said shoulder in said groove so that when the cap is assembled on said neck the upper end of said neck compresses said spring so that said packing ring effects a seal for the opening from said neck and said tooth passes downwardly through said vertical groove and then is rotated to and seated within said notch for holding the cap on the container against accidental displacement and to achieve this effect the vertical dimension between the upper surface of said notch and the upper end of said neck is greater than the vertical dimension between the upper surface of said tooth and the lower surface of said packing ring when the cap is in the dissembled position.
 2. A container, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said neck has a frustoconical shape diverging downwardly from its upper end to said shoulder defining the upper surface of said horizontal groove, a pair of said vertical grooves disposed on diametrically opposite sides of said neck, the cavity in the cap having a frustoconical shape similar to and slightly larger than that of said neck so that the cap fits downwardly over said neck, a pair of said teeth disposed on diametrically opposite sides of said neck, and a pair of said notches disposed on diametrically opposite sides of said neck spaced angularly at 90* from said vertical grooves for receiving and holding said teeth in the locked position of the cap on the container when the cap is rotated through said horizontal groove until said teeth are aligned with said notches. 